Transition your business. Plan for life. Private Wealth Management

Certus Financial Group Rick S. Kirkinis, Raymond L. Chase, Lloyd Schaefer, Daniel F. Riordan III, Tristan Cooper, Eric Schenk, Frank T. Scudese, Debra Spiesman, Katherine Nahas

Certus Financial Group


phone

855-455-4019



phone

855-847-4973





address

500 Campus Drive
2nd Floor
Florham Park, NJ 07932



At Certus Financial Group, our clients are busy, successful professionals who depend on us to anticipate their concerns and help manage their financial world so they can attend to life’s other important priorities. Our team includes seasoned discretionary portfolio managers, experienced advisors and planning professionals, including a certified exit planner, retirement plan consultants and Certified Financial Planners. Focusing primarily on business transition and multigenerational wealth management, we bring a mix of exit planning insight, disciplined financial planning and institutional investment management experience to each relationship.

Collectively, we’ve spent decades navigating the markets so there is very little we haven’t seen. You can trust that our investment perspective is grounded, but also open to opportunities we believe offer our clients the greatest potential benefit. Whether you’re restructuring your portfolio, creating a more tax-efficient estate planning strategy or transitioning your business, we can coordinate with your other professional advisors to deliver one integrated approach. With the feel of a boutique family office and access to the resources of a global leader in wealth management, our goal is to provide you with a trusted and consistent source of advice and solutions for every stage of life.

Planning to exit

Business sale, transition and liquidity strategies

The decision to step away from your business is never easy. More often, it’s life-changing—for owners, their families and those next in line. That’s why we encourage our clients to begin the exit planning conversation with us well ahead of the event.

Our early involvement in your transaction enables us to engage all of the resources needed to help maximize the value of the event so you can confidently pursue your life’s goals post-sale. To help inform our recommendations about deal structure, valuation opportunities and tax considerations, we’ll coordinate with our network of both third-party and UBS for their expertise in:

  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Private equity and debt financing
  • Risk management
  • Estate planning strategies
  • Tax management

64% of business owners feel that exiting their businesses will not be emotional. But that’s often not the case when the time comes.

Only 4% have a formal, written “life after business” plan in place.1

1State of Owner Readiness Survey, The Exit Planning Institute, 2013

So many factors—with both short- and long-term consequences—come into play when you’re considering transitioning from your business. You can trust that our team works with founders and their families every day as they take their companies through this process. We’re committed to clarifying your decision-making, reducing your stress and planning for your post-exit life—personally, professionally and financially.

Is it the right time to sell your business?

Executive wealth solutions

Navigate your benefits, awards, cash flow and taxes

We believe providing your key executives with financial planning services can deliver significant benefits to your company. These may include increased impact and value from your reward programs, enhanced focus from your senior leadership team on running your business, and the potential to drive employee satisfaction and retention of your most important talent.

We understand that for senior executives, compensation and benefits, investments, insurance, estate planning and income taxes are highly interconnected. That’s why our personalized financial planning service focuses on delivering education and advice in all of the following areas:

Employee benefits

  • Retirement and deferred compensation
  • Equity awards such as employee nonqualified and incentive stock options, restricted stock and performance-based awards
  • Company-provided insurance and other benefits

Tax planning

  • Coordinate with legal and tax advisors
  • Discuss tax planning strategies
  • Assess charitable gifting strategies

Cash flow

  • Projections for retirement, your surviving spouse and family
  • Review your current liabilities and potential impact on goals

Portfolio allocation

  • Risk tolerance and investment profile to determine an appropriate asset allocation
  • Incorporate employee benefits into the asset allocation assessment
  • Asset allocation in the context of an overall financial plan
  • Illustrate single stock risk management strategies in the case of concentrated stock positions

Estate planning

  • Current estate planning goals and objectives
  • Coordinate with your executive’s estate attorney to consider changes
  • Review account titling and beneficiary designations
  • lllustrate advanced wealth transfer techniques

Insurance/Risk management

  • Life insurance coverage based on estate plan and family survivorship needs
  • Disability and long-term care insurance coverage as appropriate

Education planning

  • Evaluate education funding and saving goals

Family-office inspired service

A collaborative team focused on you

What can you expect from a relationship with us? We spend the time to really get to know you and your family. Our conversations are detailed, specific and ongoing—that’s how we learn what’s important to you and the concerns that keep you up at night. We genuinely care about the challenges you face as you build or move on from your business, plan for your family’s future and your own.

From our commitment to accessibility to being patient, caring listeners when you need guidance or clarity on an issue, we are a truly collaborative team—an “army of people” dedicated to helping you make informed, confident decisions across all areas of your financial life.

Multigenerational wealth management

Pursue the goals that matter, for every stage of life

Our wealth management process begins with deep discovery conversations that will fully identify your priorities, concerns and values. No matter where you are in your life, we can help guide you through each important stage of planning for the goals that matter to you—both short-term and long-term.

UBS Wealth Way
UBS Wealth Way starts with questions and a discussion that help us focus on what’s really important to you. Then, we can help you organize your financial life into three key strategies: Liquidity—to help provide cash flow for short-term expense, Longevity—for longer-term needs and Legacy—for needs that go beyond your own.

 

To help maintain your lifestyle

This strategy helps you manage cash flow for near-term expenses. It can give you the confidence to fund short-term needs regardless of the markets, and helps reduce the likelihood of making impulsive investment decisions during periods of market volatility.

  • Entertainment and travel
  • Taxes
  • Purchasing a home

To help improve your lifestyle

This strategy includes the resources you’ll need over the course of your life. It can help you gain confidence in your future by allowing you to shift your focus to meeting long-term goals rather than trying to outperform the markets.

  • Retirement
  • Healthcare and long-term care expenses
  • Second home

To help improve the lives of others

This strategy includes all of the resources for needs that go beyond your own. Having a Legacy strategy can boost your confidence by reframing risk based on specific legacy goals and longer timeframes.

  • Giving to family
  • Philanthropy
  • Wealth transfer over generations

Rick Kirkinis and Ray Chase have been recognized as industry leaders.

  • Rick Kirkinis, Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Rick Kirkinis, Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors, 2012, 2013
  • Ray Chase, Forbes, Best-In-State Wealth Advisor 2019, 2020

Our perspectives

Insights

Creating a lasting and positive impact

Creating a lasting and positive impact

Billionaires report

The billionaire effect